Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 March 1912 — WINTER TRAILS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WINTER TRAILS

By EIMER RUSSEL GREGOR

F one would learn the innermost secrets of the wild neighbors about him, let him go forth into woods and fields after the first snowstorm has covered the earth with an ' immaculate mantle of glistening whiteness. There he will find recorded a true and exhaustive account of outdoor happenings of the past twenty-four hours.

Across the snow-covered field at the edge of the woods you trail the familiar tracks of the little cottontail _■ rabbit. By their sidd, and occasionally joining and obliterating them, are the accusing foot-prints of that mischievous pointer pup, who should 4 have “been tied up in the barn. About a small clump of swaying weed-stalks • are the four-barred prints of such hardy birds as juncos, red-polls, and the larger blue-jays and crows. A powdery mass of loosened snow comes sifting down from the topmost bough of an evergreen at the forest edge, as a large snowy owl flies noiselessly back into the silent woods. Driven from his summer hunting grounds at the far north, by the icy hand of winter, he will levy toll from squirrels, grouse and rabbits, before taking his departure for more congenial climes at the coming of spring. Hlb hunting la methodical and constant. With set, silent, wings, he swoops suddenly down upon his victim, like some great 'Vhite specter of the forest. Little found pellets of hair, feathers and bones found on the snow beneath his (.favorite perch, indicate the fate of his unfortunate prey. Fierce, rapacious and insatiable, he flies over the fields, and through the forest, ever ready to fall like a meteor on some unsuspecting bird or mammal. Unlike most of his kind, this hold assassin from the arctic does not confine his hunting excursions to the night time alone, hut flies abroad during certain hours of the day as well; thereby proving even more destructive and dangerous than his ally in crime, the ndrthern goshawk. Over the whitened aisles of the for,est wind the beautiful, delicately traced trails of the little wood-mice. Nibbling daintily at dried grass and larger weed-stalks, *they wander about during the coldest weather. When the thermometer stands far below aero and starvation often threatens them, these little mice, when In the vicinity of farms, make their way to the granaries and barns, in search of food. When wandering about the •wends, they often come upon the shed antler of a deer or moose; they at once start to nibble and gnaw at - the hard substance, until they finally entirely destroy it. In many instances their winding trails disappear beneath the snow, to reappear some little distance further on, emerging from a tiny tunnel which they have dug in search of hidden seeds. At the base of some forest tree is recorded the jump of the gray squirrel. In long, undulating bounds, he maker his way over the snow. Oftentimes he pokes his nose beneath the surface and pushes and roots in search of acorns or nuts, which he knows are somewhere beneath that cold white covering. Some blue-jays scream, and, unwilling to betray his storehouse, he runs quickly to a nearby trunk and ascends to tfie first limbs, where he sits vociferously scolding the noisy intruders. Beneath the snow-laden branches of the balsams, the round cat-like imprints of the lynx show forth. Bold and prominent, they form an easilyfollowed trail through the woods. The half-buried top of a fallen tree, a cavity left by the roots of an upturned stomp, a thick-grown mass of rhododenrons, have all been carefully examined by this soft-footed prowler in his relentless search for food. Slight- . ly further on, his trail joins that of the f- varying hare, or “white rrfbbit,” and his tread becomes measured and careful, as he creeps forward on the hot scent of his intended victim. About • the edge of a dismal swamp the disturbed snow shows where, coming on . the unwary hare, he has made his leap and secured his prize. The line by the side of his trail marks the drag of his prey on the snow as he has carried it to the top of an open knoll Here are displayed all the evidences •tof his savage feast. Having satisfied his hunger he has circled about and several times walked to the point of his commanding elevation. One can almost hear bis weird, piercing scream, uttered in bold defiance from his prominence, jjvldently satisfied that nothing is to be gained by tarrying longer in the vicinity, his restless feet have been qgain turned toward the denser forest in which direction Ibis frail ififtA nnAftffl WMm the aide of * gently-murmuring, KjK&Md took..appears theS beetle p _____

along hbtfi shores of the stream; for the mink in his hunting, crosses and recrosseß on the Ice many times In the course of a mile. Keenly alert, he travels swiftly along, watchful for anything with which he may satiate the pangs of hunger. A disabled or careless grouse, a trout, trapped in some shallow, isolated pool, an Unwary muskrat, a venturesome wood mouse, abroad from Its shelter, or even the remains left from the repast of some more fortunate or powerful marauder, will suffice in his time of need. Up into the wind goes the slim, pointed head, with the little bead-like eyes; the tiny nose twitches, apprehensively at some scent borne on the uncertain breeze. Every nook and crevice beneath the shelving banks is thoroughly explored; into each air-hole of the ice-coated stream, is thrust the ratlike head, to peer Intently into the depths of the black pool beneath. Through one of these openings the long, slender, brown body slips, to turn and twist with lightning-like rapidity in the icy current Emerging from the chilling water, its wet coat glistening, its eyes flashing triumphantly, the agile little animal has its jaws fastened across the body of a luckless trout.- Beneath the ahelter of a. fallen pine, the prize is placed and closely guarded by the suspicious mink. After many little patrols about the near vicinity, made for the purpose of discovering any hidden foe, if such there he, the crafty hunter has partaken of his well-earned meal. Some telltale evidences left behind on the trampled snow proclaim all this, and then the tracks lead on down the stream. At some distance from the brookbed, farther back In the forest, winds the clear-cut, well-defined tracks of the red ftnr. The footprints are distinguishable from those of the lynx even at first glance. The imprints themselves are narrower, and placed more nearly In a straight line; while the stride, from the track to track, is half again as long as in the wider lynx trail. The drag of the bushy tgil Is duly recorded, as the sharply outlined footprints lead up to and over the brow of a hiU. From the clean, sharp tracks left on the snow, one can readily Imagine the sly, red fellow daintily placing those tireless, black feet. The trail leads into an old wood road along which the fox has trotted. At one place, evidently frightened by something he has jumped far to one side, then gone on at a mad gallop. Down to the edge of an ice-covered, snow-coated pond, the tracks lead. Evidently recovered from his unexplainable panic, he steals stealthily to the cover of the bushes that fringe the frozen lake. His trail proceeds to the outskirts of a frozen marsh, along which it follows. About several muskrat houses his wayward footprints circle; at one particular domeshaped habitation the impatient fox has scraped away the snow and seemingly endeavored to scratch through the lmpentrable, frozen mass composing the roof. Having probably caused the terrified inmates to abandon the grass-lined living chamber, and to plunge Into the black, chilling water beneath the ice, he has turned and made his way leisurely across the swamp to a hemlock grove. Cautiously he has Worked his way under the drooping branches, his keen nose searching for some promising scent. He has alarmed a torpid grouse, as recorded by the disturbed area of snow, showing the bomb-like flight of the 1 startled bird at the, near approach of the Silent stalker. At one place be has Jtupped for a

mouse, and, judged by the imprints, has miscalculated the distance and missed his quarry. Two or three playful bounds mark the ascent of his trail to higher ground, where, reaching more open country it leads off to the right, the tracks showing he has broken into a hurried trot for s>arts unknown. On the crest of a neighboring hardwood ridge is the trail of a noble white-tail buck. Differing from the trail of the dpe, by the larger tracks, more rounded toes, greater length of stride between prints and drag on the snow before and after each particular footprint, the tracks are sufficiently interesting to follow. From the trail it may be gathered that the animal has walked leisurely along up-wlnd, browsing on laurel, birch twigs, and smaller bushes. "He has carefully walked a log to cross a brook, and stood drinking of the clear, cold water. Occasionally he has stopped to listen and look back on his trail for the detection of any harmful follower. He has nothing to fear from the front, for his sensitive muzzle would detect the warning taint on the breeze, long before thp enemy Itself hove in sight. In several places he has pawed the snow clear for considerable spaces, evidently In search of some winter delicacy beneath the glimmering crystals. , Another buck track still larger than the first, which it Joins, promises interesting developments further along. For some distance it follows its rival at a walk, then Impatience is shown in the recorded tracks left by the trotting animal. This second buck one would judge to be the bigger animal, from Itß larger tracks, although this need not essentially follow. At any rate he is evidently In a great hurry to overtake and challenge his predecessor, judging from his tracks, which show he has broken into a graceful canter. Farther on the snow records the preliminaries of battle gone through by both bucks at sight of each other. Each has pawed and stamped the snow in a circle of considerable area. Both have broken small bushes and rubbed the bark from saplings with their antlers. One has trotted forward challengingly for a short distance, given a few buck jumps and retreated to again vent his wrath on bush ;and tree. At last they closed with a rush; both, from the evidence recorded apparently having- been carried to their knees by the force of the impact. Rising, they pushed, retreated and charged, until the snow was entirely cleared from the .arena. Several times one or the other has been, thrown heavily to earth; the imprints left by their bodies being plainly visible. Bits of hide, long coarse hairs and alarming blotches of red, prove the fierceness of the battle for supremacy. As is inevitably the case, the weakat last gave way; his blood-stained trail leading off in a series of great bounds down the hillside. For some distance the second trail accompanied it, but finally branched off into a dense hit of forest, the victor evidently seeking the Bhelter and Bolitude for recuperation from his own wounds and bruises. -As twilight comes stealing over the whitened landscape, obliterating distance and closing in, in a gradually contracting circle, many Other interesting tracks and trails are found, but the winter days are short and the fading light beneath the trees drives one out in the open fields, across them into the road—and home. < Happiness is the natural flower of duty. "The good man Ought ft) he A; thoroughly bright and happy mam—* Phillips Brooks. I